Author Archives: bendimbleby

With more news breaking on the virus situation every day, it is worth taking a moment to step back and consider how we got here. The events leading up to the current moment are summarised here in a timeline showing snapshots of the discovery, spread, and response to 2019-nCoV: The number of reported cases hasContinue reading “Coronavirus: the story so far”

The animal origin of 2019-nCoV is currently unclear: some early studies suggest a bat origin(1) while others postulate that snakes are the reservoir(2). It is known, however, that the infection likely spread at the Huanan seafood market, a “wet market” where live animals and meat are sold out in the open(3) (similar markets have beenContinue reading “Where did the virus come from (and haven’t we seen this before)?”

Are the end times upon us? Reading the reports from the media, you may be led to believe so: unscrupulous sources depict a dangerous super-plague originating from Wuhan, promising annihilation on a global scale. The true story of this new coronavirus, however, is more complex and (unsurprisingly) less sensational: it is a story of epidemicsContinue reading “What is Coronavirus?”